Haley Haar named 2023 Kansas City Woman of Impact Award winner

President and owner of AlphaGraphics Kansas City, Haley Haar, has been recognized by the American Heart Association as the 2023 Kansas City Woman of Impact Award Winner.

Working to fight the number one killer worldwide, heart disease, the American Heart Association nominates a group of female leaders in various regions surrounding Women’s Health Month each spring. This year, eight local women in Kansas City were chosen for the 9-week Go Red for Women’s campaign in hopes of raising funds to advance heart health, Haar being one of the select few.

After losing her mother to a stroke while recovering from COVID, Haar felt she had an extra, personal incentive to move the initiative forward.

“It was really about telling her story, our family story, and how her heart disease contributed ultimately to her death and life over many years,” says Haar. “In talking to friends, family, and people I knew, I was able to say, hey, this can be prevented if we were to put effort into raising funds that provide both research and awareness. I think it’s also cathartic to be able to celebrate my mom in a way that was really authentic and healing for me. In honor of her, it’s been a really great way to help, in some ways, heal and come to terms with the loss. I’m hoping that the funds will help other women not have to go through the health issues she did.”

Being a business owner and salesperson by trade, the entrepreneur is no stranger to money talk. Raising money for a cause so close to home, though, was uncharted territory.

“I’ve always been used to talking about money and asking for money since it’s a part of who I am professionally,” says Haar. “This was really a different method of doing that. The people who donate to this cause aren’t really getting anything at the other end of turning their paycheck over. I had to kind of change my mindset about asking for money that it is going to benefit others and how to have those conversations and look at things beyond the small or immediate impact. Is it impacting the people that are right here in my life or is this going to be something that impacts a greater community?”

Haar’s own AlphaGrapics, a marketing and printing company located in the Crossroads Arts District, has established around 260 franchises across the country. With the extra support of her colleagues, she was able to raise over $50,000 for the initiative.

According to her, the network alone donated roughly $10,000 to the fundraiser.

“I really felt it was phenomenal of them to step up and support me in that way,” says Haar. “We support each other a lot professionally, but to have that personal support too was very impactful for me.”

Moving forward, Haar plans to stay involved in fundraisers and initiatives where she has the chance to make an impact around the issues close to her heart. She recently accepted a seat on one of AHA’s committees.